Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-16

injury to the cause of popular education.
We must keep clearly before US the broad
distinction between the manual training
schools, the trades schools, and the COM
mon schools; they bear relation to each
other, but cannot be commingled without
abandonment of the principle upon which
the common schools are based-that the
State must provide means for informing
the intelligence and developing the mental
powers of the children of its people.
Hand-training as Mr. W. \. Plat, re-
cent incisive essayist in the Epoch shows,
is not altogether neglected in the present
course of most common schools Drawing
is taught almost as universally as writing,
and drawing lies at the foundation of all
industrial and technical training. 1t is
taught in the public schools with varying
degrees of success, and not very much time
is devoted to it but, that the course, even
as it stands, is of some value, is attested
by the fact that pupils of the public
schools of New York have been found, on
their entrance into purely industrial
schools, to be able to go into advanced
classes because of the knowledge of draw
ing they had previously obtained"
As that writer points out, the people are
taxed, not to make this boy carpenter, or
that one a draughtsman, or the other
blacksmith, or an engineer, but that the
intellect of all boys and girls of the State
shall have equal chance for training. The
REcoRD-UNIoN has uniformly held in the
debate now so general, that just so far as
this can esupplelnented-w without detract-
ing from the time and study needed for in
tellectual training and mental develop
ment-by practical devices for making the
pupils self-helpful, and fitting them for the
duties of life, the common schools may
well go beyond that the offices of the
training school begin, and beyond that is
the realm of the trades school. As Mr.
Plat well says:
Communistic Government. 1t implies that
the State owes living to each of its citizens.
This is not the American theory, and the com
mon schools ought not to be managed in accord
ance with it. And yet great deal of loose talk
is INDUCED in about the necessity for useful"
practical" studies in the school-room-by
which, of course, is meant studies that will help
directly to make money. Our theory of gov
eminent leaves every man in perfect freedom to
earn his living in any way he pleases, SO long as
he does not interfere with other mems rights.
into
affairs the better If it provides the conditions
of security and liberty under which man is
left free to work according TO the bent of his
mind, ii has done for him all it needs to do in
the way OF maintenance.
While, then, in the common schools we
may, and should in a general way teach
practical things more than is done, and
while, as we said some days ago, we should
move up out of the groove of the text
book to a considerable extent, the people
who expect their children to best learn of
the practical things of everyday life, and
how to make themselves useful and help
full, ought to begin the teaching at home.
The experience of the parent should be
home school for the child. That it is not,
is glaring and startling truth in
a vast number of cases, and is due
to incapacity of parents and neglect of
PARENTAL duty, about equally. In cities,
notably the helplessness of children in the
matter of common things is amazing. In
rural sections there is great deal of home
practical manual everyday training there
ought to be more of it everywhere, and
there will be in the next generation, if
there is more home manual train
ing in this. To commit it to the
common schools, is to lean upon stats that
in the majority Of cases must disappoint
US, until we so readjust the system that its
teaching corps is itself trained in the
economy and science of common things
But even when this is accomplished, the
parent will not be discharged from the
duty of training his children at home how
to do with their hands useful and self
helpful things.